Current Conditions as of 2 PM on Wednesday: Mostly sunny skies with a few scattered clouds overhead this Wednesday afternoon are providing another quite pleasant day outside for this week. High pressure hanging around for a few days over the east/northeast US will lead to more of a repetitive forecast for our region. While most weather eyes are now fixated in the tropics with the development of Isaac, air quality eyes around here will be fixated on deteriorating conditions as we progress further through the week with light winds and sunny skies yielding moderate to Code ORANGE air quality conditions. *** Thursday’s Forecast: On Thursday, mostly sunny skies continue with high pressure hanging around at the surface. The ongoing trend for this week so far has been that temperatures have risen slightly from day to day, and so have both Ozone and PM 2.5 concentrations. This trend will continue on Thursday with temperatures climbing into the low 80s, PM 2.5 levels remaining in the moderate range, and Ozone concentrations approaching the Code ORANGE threshold. Patchy fog in the morning hours again will burn off rather quickly to allow ample sunshine through to the surface. The Ozone formation associated with the sunshine will only add to an already modified air mass that has sat overhead the past few days to produce these Code ORANGE concentrations. With dew point temperatures remaining on the dry side, in the lower 60s, PM 2.5 levels will remain moderate due to a lack of mixing with the more stagnant air flow and only rise slightly. *** Extended Forecast: Similar conditions will continue for Friday as high pressure remains in control over the region. Temperatures will climb into the low to mid 80s with moderate PM 2.5 concentrations continuing. High moderate to Code ORANGE Ozone levels are expected once again with even more sunshine and minimal wind flow. These conditions will continue into the weekend with moderate PM 2.5 and moderate to Code ORANGE Ozone concentrations continuing the slow increase trend. Temperatures will move more into the mid 80s for the weekend with a slight rise in dew point temperatures. An approaching cold front sometime early next week will be our best hope to end this poor air quality event. — Roble